Beyond Compliance: Unveiling the Knowing-Doing Gap in China's Higher Education Quality Assurance Through Cluster Analysis

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jhet.202515525

Author(s)

Jianke Yang1,2,3,#,*, Chunmei Liu1,#, Yan Zhu1, Jiajin Zhang2,4, Rongbiao Ji4, Rong Guo2,4, You Li1, Rong Cong1, Ruijie Zhou1,2,*

Affiliation(s)

1College of Physical Education, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China 2Center for Sports Intelligence Innovation and Application, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China 3Office of Academic Affairs, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China 4College of Big Data, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, Yunnan, China *Corresponding Author #Jianke Yang and Chunmei Liu contributed equally to this work.

Abstract

Under the context of the new round of undergraduate education teaching quality assurance audits in China, a common “knowing-doing gap” prevails in the construction of university quality assurance systems. This study innovatively employs text clustering analysis on the self-evaluation reports of 53 universities participating in the recent audit cycle. The findings reveal a distinct dual structure within the discourse of university quality assurance. On one hand, a high degree of consensus and a comprehensive narrative framework are established at the level of “superficial constructs,” encompassing institutional design, organizational support, and monitoring and feedback. On the other hand, “existing problems” collectively reveal deep-seated execution issues such as inefficient system operation, underutilization of data, and weak interdepartmental collaboration. This structural disjunction underscores the difficulties inherent in translating formal commitments into organizational practice. A feasible pathway for constructing an integrated mechanism of “The unity of knowledge and action” is proposed after identifying critical bottlenecks hindering the transition of quality assurance systems from the superficial to the deep level. This study offers practical pathways to optimize internal teaching governance and promote a shift toward effectiveness-driven operation of education quality assurance.

Keywords

Quality Assurance in Higher Education; Knowing-Doing Gap; Text Cluster Analysis; Procedural Compliance; Effectiveness-Driven Operation

References

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